presidents-of-namibia

"For the Namibian people and for myself, this day, March 21 1990, is the most memorable and indeed the most emotional moment in the annals of our history. This solemn hour is the moment, which our people have been waiting for, for more than a century. The is the day for which tens of thousands of Namibian patriots laid down their lives, shed their precious blood, suffered imprisonment and difficult life in exile. Today, our hearts are filled with great joy and jubilation because our deepest and longest yearning has been realized."

"For the Namibia people, the realization of our most cherished goal, namely the independence of our country and the freedom of our people, is fitting tribute to the heroism and tenacity with which our people fought for this long-awaited day. We have been sustained in our difficult struggle by the powerful force of conviction in the righteousness and justness of our cause."

"Our nation blazed the trail to freedom. It has arisen to its' feet. As from today, we are masters of this vast land of our ancestors. The destiny of this country is now fully in our own hands. We should, therefore, look forward to the future with confidence and hope."

"Taking the destiny of this country in our own hands means, among other things, making the great effort to forge national identity and unity. Our collective security and prosperity depends on our unity of purpose and action, Unity is a precondition for peace and development. Without peace, it is not possible for the best and talented citizens of our country to realise their potential."

"Our achievement of Independence imposes upon us a heavy responsibility, not only to defend our hard-won liberty, but also to set ourselves higher standards of equality, justice and opportunity for all, without regard to race, creed or colour. These are the standards from which all who seek to emulate us shall draw inspiration."

"The world has enormous resources to fight and defeat poverty, hunger and under- development. We must insist, in this process of dialogue, on a realistic balance between the total world spending on war and weapons technology, on the one hand, and the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and Targets, on the other. What is required is political will and compassion on the part of world leaders."

"We cannot ignore the ever widening income gap between the rich and the poor, between the industrialised North and the developing South. This situation represents a dangerous time bomb which the world can ill-afford to let take its own course. Our planet earth is too small to perpetuate the unacceptable co-existence of abject poverty and abundance of prosperity within its fold. We will only deal with this situation effectively, when we promote mutually beneficial commercial trade between the North and South within the framework of North-South and South-South Cooperation."

"I intend to undertake certain causes that are dear to my heart and be ready to assist national, regional and international efforts, especially in the areas of poverty eradication, people with disabilities, food production through agriculture and infrastructure development."

"Without concrete and sustained peace and stability, Africa's economic growth and poverty eradication will remain unfulfilled dreams. They will make our promises empty and a betrayal to the African masses. We must act collectively to nurture their hopes and make their dreams come true."

"Production is the basis for wealth creation and economic growth. In turn, wealth creation and economic growth are the bases for employment creation and poverty eradication. For the purpose of improving the welfare of our people, it is therefore imperative that as a nation we must promote productivity and competitiveness as critical elements in wealth creation and economic growth. The critical challenge facing our country, however, is how to overcome constraints to wealth creation and economic growth. This means that we should address such constraints head on. Some critical constraints to productivity and growth are, among others, knowledge and skills deficit and lack of capacity for marketing and market development. Indeed, knowledge and skills are keys to productivity and competitiveness. Our primary resource is therefore our people. Knowledgeable citizens are able to invent new products and skilled workers are competent to produce quality products. It is for this reason that we have prioritized education and training as the key to economic growth, social development, employment creation, productivity and competitiveness."

"It is well known that Africa is one of the richest regions of the world. For example, the Southern Africa region contains a variety of resources, including natural gas, coal, uranium, diamonds, gold, platinum, perennial rivers etc. These resources must be harnessed to improve the standards of living of all our people. For that to happen, we should embark upon strategies which promote manufacturing and add value to our natural resources. In that manner we will not only be able to create wealth but will also be able to enhance economic growth and improve the competitiveness of our economies in the international markets."

"When the Founding Fathers were calling for African Unity, they were calling for economic emancipation, co-operation and integration of the entire African continent; because they fully understood that political freedom would remain insufficient and meaningless unless it was accompanied by genuine economic independence."

"As you are all aware, the achievement of freedom and independence of our continent was only a critical point of departure but not the destination. For this reason, our youth should become active participants in the socio-economic development of our continent in order to take it to the advanced level of development. We should therefore continue to educate our youth and equip them with relevant technical skills, knowledge, cultural norms and values. In this way, we will be able to achieve our strategic objectives, namely the eradication of poverty, disease, ignorance and under-development."

"History has taught us how the enemies of peace, freedom and social progress have caused division, political instability and economic sabotage in some sisterly countries on the African continent and embarked upon maneuvers and machinations in order to mislead and converts some of our fellow African compatriots and turns them against their own people with the view to reverse the gains of our freedom and independence."

"Taking the destiny of our country in our own hands meant, among other things, making a great effort to forge a national identity based on a common resolve and unity of purpose and action as well as set for ourselves higher standards of equality, justice and opportunity for all our people irrespective of colour, race, ethnic or place of origin."

"The best way in which we can address social and economic inequalities in our country is by ensuring that all our people, especially the youth, are provided with quality education."

"I also urge our youth to reject tribalism and the social evils of alcohol and drug abuse, violence against women and children as well as to remain focused on pursuits that are aimed at building a better future for themselves and our country. Furthermore, the youth are the backbone and future leaders of our continent. They should therefore study hard and equip themselves with relevant skills and knowledge so that we can produce our own medical doctors, agriculturalists, engineers, geologists and other technical personnel who will play a meaningful role in the socio-economic development of our country in order for us to eradicate hunger, ignorance and diseases from the face of our continent."

"A united people, striving to achieve a common good for all members of the society, will always emerge victorious."

"However, I am always conscious that despites our tireless and time tested work towards reconciliation, unity of action and purpose, national reconciliation as well as peace and stability that shaped Namibia into the democratic, peaceful and stable country it has become, the accolades bestowed upon some of us belong to our collective national efforts."

"Our common destiny, as Africans, is defined by peace, security, development and prosperity; free from poverty, disease, underdevelopment and conflicts. We want a continent whose citizens occupy a pride of place among the people of the world. We want a continent that has reclaimed its pre-eminence as a centre of technological innovation, scientific excellence and cultural advancement."

"The maintenance of peace and stability in the country is imperative for socio economic development. Where there is no peace and stability, surely, there will be no meaningful development. Therefore, we must ensure the smooth transition, from generation to generation, to build on past successes, and progress to new generation."

"It is important for us to preserve and promote our cultural values, traditional norms and heritage is in order to mould our national identity. In this regard, I believe that as an African country, we must encourage our children to appreciate and develop interest in our cultural values and traditional norms."

"If I am allowed to elaborate on the important aspect of peace, security and stability, it is common knowledge that the on-going debate about the need for social, economic and political reforms in Africa centres on issues of peace, security and development. These are viewed as necessary conditions for social stability and the promotion of human security."

"Africa needs to develop its own processes, systems, courts and institutions. It would help us to be self sufficient. We must build lasting institutions …not something imposed from foreign countries."

"I can tell you, we are out of the woods, I think. The economy is going to pick up. These are the things we need to look forward to. Not somebody who is praying for Namibia to fail. How can citizens pray [for failure]."

"Namibia is a child of international solidarity, midwifed by the United Nations. Therefore, we are convinced about solidarity and partnership as critical enablers of our developmental aspirations."

"Self-determination is a human right. The continued injustices meted out against the people of Palestine are a reminder of the urgent need to start implementing the two-state solution as the only viable alternative that can end inequality and bring peace to both the peoples of Palestine, Israel and indeed the region."

"The health of our planet is in serious jeopardy. Our home is on fire, we are experiencing unprecedented impacts of climate change, including severe droughts and ravaging field fires. Time is a luxury we do not have. We have to act decisively to reduce carbon emissions as our contribution to the preservation of our planet and people."

"We view the establishment, maintenance and enhancement of our administration of justice as an integral component, not only for the maintenance of peace and security within Namibia, but also for the advancement of our developmental agenda. Therefore, the sacrosanctity of judicial independence in Namibia can never be questioned."

"In a democracy, we will have differences of opinion on how we approach the development question, but we are all Namibians, and the well-being of our country is of utmost importance to each one of us. This is a time that demands a collective mindset, a different way of doing things, and an understanding that Namibia and its citizens’ well-being has and will always be greater and more important than individuals. Fate calls on us to remove the walls of partisan thinking and assume the mantle of unity to ensure that we emerge from the rough waves we have faced and continue sailing towards the shores of peace, equity and prosperity. It is our collective duty to hold hands and reimage our Nation so that we can move forward as a Namibia ready to achieve her destiny; A Namibia defined by unity and shared national identity; A Namibia defined by peace and social harmony, and a Namibia defined by new economic opportunities and growth."

"Although we are not yet out of the woods and should not rest on our laurels, together, we have survived the fiercest onslaught of the pandemic. To restore what we have lost, we have to stay together and build back a Namibia where nobody is left behind and to cultivate a Namibia that is resilient, united and forward thinking."

"Our country has enjoyed good rains and the Namibian landscape is looking its best. The lush greenery is a pleasure to behold. That is our State of the Nation. It is green. Not just green hydrogen but a green, healthy landscape which requires all of us to put our shoulder to the wheel and sow. What we sow, we shall harvest."

"I am confident that the indomitable spirit of the Namibian people and the unity that binds us will prevail, and together, as One Namibia One Nation, we will surmount our challenges and rise towards our national destiny of shared prosperity like a phoenix."

"After Namibia’s independence was secured, we needed to develop a new narrative for an independent country that had been fractured by apartheid. We had to overcome the hatred of the past – hatred between blacks and whites, and between different linguistic and ethnic groups. We focused on reconciling Namibia to ensure peace. We succeeded in building a reconciled society."

"We in independent Namibia have been very fortunate to have had steady hands at the helm for 25 years. With your support, I hope to continue this tradition. As we go forward, we will seek to be transactional in maintaining and strengthening the governance architecture, but we will also be transformational as we prepare the citizens for the new economy that requires the development of new parameters in education, innovation, and enterprise."

"All of us must play our part in the success of this beautiful house we call Namibia. We need to renew it from time to time by undergoing renovations and extensions. I therefore invite the youth of this country to bring their ingenuity, innovation and idealism to contribute to building a solid Namibian house. The journey ahead will be full of excitement. I am confident that Namibia will continue to pursue its developmental agenda and remain a haven of peace, stability and prosperity in a world full of turmoil."